Initially, tiling the bathroom’s floor was not on the agenda. The original plan was to paint and stencil the linoleum flooring after removal of the bathroom’s vanity. When I removed the toilet some of the linoleum flooring came up. So, here we are – me now having a floor needing to be replaced.
Five Tips I Wish I Knew BEFORE My First Tile Install
Stenciling would have been easier than laying tile flooring. Since repurposing the initial vanity for use in my beautiful window seat build, it left for easy access to so much of the bathroom’s floor. If you follow me on Instagram Avenue, you can see the reel capturing my feelings for removal of the linoleum flooring. It definitely was not my cup of tea; and as previously mentioned, it was not in my project plans!
I had previously done this same bathroom for the One Room Challenge and wanted a quick, painless bathroom upgrade. I don’t know what it is about pushing myself, but I felt the need to go beyond my comfort zone. This bathroom renovation D.I.trY started growing legs the moment I realized stenciling the floor was no longer an option. With that said, I became thoroughly convinced I could tile my own bathroom floor. Some may call it boarder line delusional, but I knew I could do it!
What I am about to say next is most likely a fact. You’re going to want to quit! This is where you will have to dig deep and DOUBLE DOWN! I encourage you to keep going. You will have to give yourself pep talks throughout this type of project. Again, I encourage you to try something new at least once. This tile install was certainly new for me.
Here enters Your Resident D.I.-trY’er!
I got started on this bathroom remodel and was pumped! As I went on the journey of upgrading my bathroom, I realized quite a few things. You too will find these tips useful if you decide to tackle your own flooring install.
I want you to feel encouraged to D.I.trY renovating your bathroom or any space – particularly when working with tile. I also want to make sure I’m still keeping it genuine with you! As mentioned, you’re probably going to want to quit. Let these five avoidable mistakes give you the spark you may need to get started installing floor tiles. Let’s get into it.
Tile With Me
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- Snap the chalk line my friend. I went into this project thinking my laser level would be just fine. I thought it would help me get through perfectly laying my tiles. Honey, the laser level is all good BUT I truly think the chalk lines would’ve been far better!
- Rearrange, rearrange, and then rearrange some more! I did a dry fit (rearranging) of my tiles to determine where I wanted to start the process. My dry fit was to make sure I had enough tiles and liked the look. I didn’t take into consideration the number of acute angled cuts I would need to make with my wet saw. There were a lot of smaller cuts I did not want to make!
- This could just be a newbie to tile laying thing. I could have reduced the number of cuts had I taken the time to dry fit my tiles more than twice. The main goal is to really see those cuts before actually making them. Of course, make sure it looks good.
- Don’t mix half. Don’t mix all. Batch Mix Baby! I used the 50lb bag of Schluter thin set.
- Of course, the easy math is to get the water to thin set ratio by dividing everything in half. Insert a Strong HOWEVER… Mixing 25 pounds of thin set is a daunting task let alone applying it! There’s the race against time hoping the thin set won’t dry out before applying it to your floor! Ya’ll, I wasted an entire half bag of thin set. Don’t throw away your money and eliminate the stress! Take the time to do the math and make smaller batches.
- Stretch! I know this sounds crazy, but I promise you’ll thank me later. Also, invest some good knee pads!
- Get yourself some good stretching in before and as you go. There will be an extended amount of bending and my knees, back and thighs felt it all after Day 3 of laying the Schluter Ditra leveling system. Of course, you want to also have the proper gear (i.e. knee pads and/or a cushion of some sort); but your body will still manage to hurt n places you didn’t know you could possibly ache.
- List out everything! When I say your list should have lists, I mean it! It’s the work before the work that will truly make a huge impact.
- I wish I would have thoughtfully sat in this space to see the nooks and crannies that would need to be addressed. It’s not sitting and thinking from the standpoint of a pro -because remember I am a novice and this is simply a D.I.trY. Instead, it’s looking around your space and seeing such things as, if I remove the sink, then I need to see what entails replacing it (List 1); or if I remove the toilet, then I need to know what goes into re-installing it ( List 2). You see where I’m going? I would even go as far as including researching video tutorials and/or reading blog posts related to your subject matter. For example, I needed to watch a few videos to see how to re-install the toilet and the type of toilet flange used. The point is doing a list, whether it’s a punch list or a general listing of work details, could possibly help you see where your heaviest learning opportunities are so that you can prioritize the work load and your time.
In the end for the my first time, I completed laying porcelain tile in my guests/teenager’s bathroom with joyful jumping to follow.
What are other useful tips to add to the list… don’t be stingy. SHARE!
Please don’t be like me and NOT have usage of your bathroom for at least a year, barring any other mitigating factors of course. In these D.I.trY streets, we have to look out for each other.
Share your tips and tricks in the comments; a fellow D.I.trY’er may need it! As always, stay genuine!
